“Creating Democracy and Challenging Corporate Rule” event

MINNEAPOLIS — Move to Amend, the national campaign to abolish Corporate Personhood, will host a community forum on “Creating Democracy and Challenging Corporate Rule” with guest speaker David Cobb of the Move to Amend campaign.

Part history lesson and part heart-felt call to action, the event will be held Tuesday, July 29, 2014, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis at 900 Mount Curve Avenue in Minneapolis, MN, 55403.

The recent U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. FEC opened the floodgates to unlimited corporate spending on elections. Cobb, an attorney and organizer for the Move to Amend coalition, will help local residents understand the history behind the recent decision and how they can work to abolish “Corporate Personhood” and reestablish a government of, by, and for the people.

“Corporate Personhood” commonly refers to court-created precedent that gives corporations constitutional rights intended solely for human beings. “Corporate personhood is not an inconsequential legal technicality. The Supreme Court ruled that a corporation was a ‘legal person’ with 14th Amendment protections before they granted full personhood to African-Americans, immigrants, natives, or women”, states David Cobb, a spokesperson for Move to Amend and an attorney helping to lead the coalition.

“We are inspired by historic social movements that recognized the necessity of altering fundamental power relationships,” said Cobb. “America has progressed through ordinary people joining together—from the Revolutionaries to Abolitionists, Suffragists, Trade Unionists, and Civil Rights activists through to today. Move to Amend is a long-term effort to make the U.S. Constitution more democratic.”

The forum will focus on how folks in the twin cities can join the national movement against Corporate Personhood. Cobb will provide information about the issue and facilitate a discussion about local action in Minneapolis and Saint Paul and in communities across the United States to win the amendment campaign through grassroots mobilization.

“We are a diverse coalition with deep roots in communities nationwide. We recognize that amending the Constitution to restore the power of the people over corporations will not be easy, but we know correcting the Supreme Court is imperative to the progress of our nation,” stated Cobb.

Over 360,000 people have signed an online petition supporting a constitutional amendment at www.MoveToAmend.org.